The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to accept only indigenous healthy cows as donations, after recent events where devotees reportedly started gifting their sick and unhealthy cattle and bulls to the temple.
The TTD had established the SV Gou Samrakrshana Trust in the year 2002 to protect cows and introduced the 'Gau Pooja Seva' for pilgrims who wanted to worship cows.
Since then, several donations in the form of cows, calves, bulls have been received, and are kept at the SV Gousamrakshanashala in Tirupati.
“But in the recent past, some of them are donating unproductive and sick as well as non-indigenous and non-milching cattle to the trust,” TTD board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy told Times of India.
The goshala now has nearly 2,500 animals, out of which 1,800 are various varieties of desi breeds
Also faced with a space crunch, the TTD has decided to construct another shelter at Palamaner, said Dr Harinath Reddy, director, SV Dairy.
According to the latest guidelines, the TTD will now only accept the desi breeds, which include Gir, Shahiwal, Red Sindhi, Punganuru and Ongole breeds of cows.
Also the donors should present a certificate by the veterinary assistant surgeon of the local animal husbandry department which has details like breed, sex and health of the cattle.